The Professional League Cup begins and the question hangs in the air: has football lost its romance?

To say that football has already lost its romanticism is nothing new. The fields are the same, obviously, also the number of players playing. The clubs are the same, regardless of the variations that produce relegation and relegation. But this is precisely where the argument begins.

With a decision that is difficult to understand for the common spectator (for those who were not in the kitchen of speculation) at a certain point – a few years ago – the registration of 10 teams, at the same time, in the First Division tournament was arranged. And there were 30 left, like in no other serious championship in the world. Naturally, the joy of the supporters of the promoted suddenly collided with the reality of inequalities and the implementation of a 29-date calendar, without revenge, of course. An irregularity that does not occur elsewhere.

After the inconvenience caused by the misfits (and the deployment of police who forced them to accompany them on transfers) it was decided prevent the presence of the visiting public. Another wound in folklore. The explained intention was to reduce two teams per season to reach 22 participants in 4 years. 4 were relegated (average of the three previous tournaments) and two were promoted. They got to 26 and stopped. The Professional League was founded – presumably independent of the AFA – and after a 38-38 draw in an assembly where 75 (?) voted everything went haywire. The leaders backed off and the declines began to narrow. They went back to 28. The 27-date Professional League was invented (without revenge, obviously) and the League Cup with two zones of 14, four qualifiers each to be played in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

That romanticism of 50 or 60 years ago, when there were 16 First Division teams and 30 home and away matches were played, would already be an antiquity in a country with more than double the population. But the world’s major leagues have 20 participants and have enough time to comply with the rule. But who dares to collapse so suddenly as they raised 8 teams in one fell swoop? It wouldn’t even be right.. That’s why the drops dropped from 4 to 3 and in the last year it was decided to change. After rating 2 for the average and 2 for the annual score, they ended up going down one and one.

And not only here are promises not kept. FIFA had decided that during the pandemic the possibility of changes per team would be increased to five players. The pandemic is over and everything remains the same. In a match each team can change half of their starting lineup. Ah, but only in three windows. Naturally, the most powerful are favored, those who perhaps have higher-ranking teams… And romance? It remains for the invincible “dynamic of the unthinkable”, because as in no other sporting activity no one beats anyone.

Now the MLS, the United States tournament, counts. Because Messi is there, logically. And there are a lot of dollars to go around. And there are Suárez, Busquets and Jordi Alba, at the twilight of their careers. and Saudi Arabia is also in fashion. With rain of petrodollars. And there they try to create the great definitions of Cup and Tournament. You can totally pay for TV services to watch here. And they already have Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar… and Marcelo Gallardo arrived as coach.

Was something missing to reduce the emotions of that incomparable social phenomenon that is football? Well, the next World Cup will have 48 teams and will be played in three countries… And there will be a Club World Cup with 24 or 28 teams. But the most important thing remains for last: the aspect of VAR and its technology. Doubtful, even for now. For a century and a half, football has lived with human error. And it wasn’t bad. The sacred cry of a goal was instantaneous, non-transferable. And the discussion remained throughout the week. Now we have to wait to scream or curse. The romance is over.